This disclosure relates to a cooling mechanism and an image forming apparatus, and more specifically to a technology for cooling a unit or a component forming an image forming apparatus.
Following an increase in the number of functions and downsizing of an image forming apparatus, there have been increasing needs for efficiently cooling an inside of the apparatus while adequately arranging a large number of units and components forming the image forming apparatus in a narrow space.
Thus, for example, an image forming apparatus has been suggested which has an electric circuit dispersed on a plurality of circuit boards and arranges each of the circuit boards in their respective storage spaces. An image forming apparatus has also been suggested which has a duct provided between a fixing unit and a process unit and has air flow through the duct to prevent an influence of heat of the fixing unit imposed on the process unit. Further known is an image forming apparatus which efficiently cools a plurality of cooled objects by directing blowing air from a single fan to the cooled object or guiding this air to the cooled object through the duct.